Alim McNeill’s Fall-Off Was Not Real
Let’s start with Alim McNeill, because this one should be obvious to anyone who has watched football for more than five minutes. McNeill earned a major extension during the 2024 season before tearing his ACL right after Thanksgiving. He missed the rest of that year, missed training camp in 2025, and did not return until right before the bye week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. When he did come back, he was clearly not himself.
The numbers were rough. In 523 snaps, McNeill managed just 23 total pressures and zero sacks. For a guy who had been getting at least five sacks per year while also stuffing the run at a high level, those numbers were ugly. Probably the worst season of his career, including his rookie year.
But here is the thing. When you have a 315-pound defensive tackle coming back from a torn ACL, of course he is not going to look like himself right away. Even with nearly a year of rehab and doing everything right, you are never getting that guy back to 100% immediately. He needs time. He needs reps.
There were games where McNeill looked solid, too. The Thanksgiving game against Green Bay was one, even though nobody was getting home because Jordan Love was getting the ball out at lightning speed. The Week 12 game against the New York Giants was another.
McNeill has spent this offseason putting in serious work. Pilates, extensive cardio, everything he can do to get his body back to where it was and beyond. I have a lot of faith in what he has been doing, and I absolutely think you are going to see a much better, more athletic McNeill in 2026 than the version Detroit got in 2025.
D.J. Reed’s Fall-Off Was Not Real
A lot of people look at cornerback DJ Reed and think he was a bust for the Lions. I just do not think that is true.
Before his injury, Reed was balling out. We are talking Pro Football Focus scores in the 70s and even the 80s. He was playing at a high level. Then he got hurt.
When he came back in Week 12, you could see that the injury was still affecting him. He had a rough game against the Los Angeles Rams, but beyond that, he was still grading out in the high 60s and near 70 per PFF. That is not bad at all for a guy clearly not at full strength.
Reed’s fall-off was not real. This was a player coming back from an injury who was visibly hampered by it. Once he gets a full training camp and gets his body right, I think you are going to see a much better version of him in 2026. Detroit needs that, too, because the secondary was decimated by injuries last season. The Lions might have even brought Reed back a little earlier than they should have, which only made things worse.
Christian Mahogany’s Fall-Off Might Be Real
Now, Mahogany’s situation is similar to Reed’s in some ways. He spent the first half of the season starting and playing fairly well before getting hurt. When he came back, you could see the injury was still hampering him.
I am kind of in the middle with Mahogany at this point. The pass blocking was a problem, and it was not limited to the second half of the season. It was a full-season issue. He allowed six sacks and 27 pressures, and that is a concern.
His run blocking, on the other hand, was good and sometimes elite.
The question is whether that is enough for the Lions. Do they want a guard who can dominate in the run game but struggle in pass protection? Or do they need someone who can do both? That is why I think Mahogany has a real chance of losing his starting left guard job this year. Ben Bartch has a shot. Miles Frazier could win it. Juice Scruggs could win it. Right now, I lean toward the fall-off being real with Mahogany.
We will see what happens when pads go on at training camp. Maybe a full offseason of health and more NFL experience under his belt will make a difference. Maybe Mahogany comes out and looks like a completely different player in pass protection. Let’s see how it plays out.
So which of these three fall-offs scares you the most, or are you trusting the process and betting they all bounce back? Drop your take below.
